About Me & Mine
My name is Rachel Ann McCLEAN nee CAWTHORN. I was born in the Crescent Nursing Home in Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire in March 1952; the first child of my parents Frank CAWTHORN & Joyce PALMER
of "Sycamore Cottage", Upwell Road, Christchurch, nr Upwell, Cambridgeshire.
Apparently it was touch and go getting my mother there on time because of heavy snow everywhere,
Christchurch being 15 miles south of Wisbech, deep in the fens of North Cambridgshire.
According to family legend, when Dad went to register my birth, as far as my mother was concerned
my name was going to be just "Ann". When Dad came back from the Registrar's Office with my birth
certificate, I had been registered as "Rachel Ann" after Dad's grandmother!
In 1954, my little brother arrived - he was was born at Nurse Hargreave's house in Upwell - just
up the road from the Baptist Chapel.
One of my abiding memories of living at "Sycamore Cottage" [which was opposite "Orchard House" where
my Grandfather lived and where Dad grew up] was of a bunch of calves getting through the hedge into
our back garden and eating all the vegetables! I was reminded of it recently when 4 rather large
bullocks got into our back garden - they seemed rather surprised that I wanted them to leave!
I can just remember my grandfather, Walter CAWTHORN, at the village shop. Apparently, he would
sit me on the counter and feed me sweets! I can remember walking to the shop with my mother
pushing the pram with my new baby brother in it.
In 1956, we moved to "Poplar House" on Padgetts Road, Christchurch. There was no bathroom or
toilet - just the proverbial "Thunderbox" with 2 seats down the garden. But there was a wonderful
fruit orchard [apples, plums & pears] where my brother & I would spend hours playing.
Dad also grew gooseberries, strawberries, sugarbeet, potatoes & corn.
"Poplar House" was built by a Mr TROWER in the early 1800s; William Rust CAWTHORN, my father's Gt Uncle
lived at "Poplar House" before us and had done so since he married Sarah Elizabeth GOODGER in 1896.
I also began my schooling in 1956 by joining the Infants class at the "Townley School" in Christchurch.
My teacher was Mrs Jean SMART - a lovely lady. The Infants' classroom then was a wooden building
away from from the main school, but you could see the fields from the windows. I can well remember
seeing 2 Shire horses and their master ploughing the field next to the school playing field.
My junior class teacher was Mrs Constance SPARROW - she was a skilled needlewoman and artist as well
primary school teacher. I loved her history lessons about Hereward the Wake, the building of Ely
Cathedral; the different styles of architecture [I still have my "Observer's Book of Architecture];
stories from the Greek legends - she was a wonderful story teller. BUT every Friday morning we were
given spelling and mental arithmetic tests!
Mrs Sparrow also ran the Puppet Club where we started with hand-puppets with papier mache heads
[which we had to make ourselves]; when we were older, we were allowed to go onto making our own
string puppets or marionettes.
My top class teacher was the headmaster, Mr L.C. DAVIES, a Welshman.
In 1963, I moved onto the Hereward Girl's School, in the neignbouring town of March.
The school was in Robingoodfellow's Lane, but the building has long gone - and no pictures of the school
survive, apparently. [I asked at March Museum last year.]
I took my "O" & "A" level G.C.E.'s at the Isle of Ely College of Further Education in Ramnoth Road,
Wisbech. The Students' Union used to organise some good dances there!
My first job at the age of 18 was as a Library Assistant at the Isle of Ely County Library HQ in
Gordon Avenue, March. The County Librarian at that time was Frederick HOUGHTON; his deputy was
Walter DRING who was in charge of the "Local Collection" and author of "The Fenland Story".
With the amalgamation of the Isle of Ely & Cambridgeshire county councils in 1971, the Library HQ
moved to Cambridge - and me with it.
In 1972, I changed jobs and moved to London to work in St. Thomas' Hospital Patients' Library.
For 2 years, life was an absolute whirlwind!
And then I met David in September 1974. 11 weeks later, on 16 November 1974, we were married in my home
village of Christchurch; 2 weeks later, we flew out to Singapore to begin our first overseas posting with the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office aka the Diplomatic Service. In all, we spent 10 years overseas - in Singapore, Bonn
and Khartoum. Our first son was born in Bonn; our 2nd son was born in Khartoum - but they both have British birth
certificates, as well as certificates from the country of birth.
We came back to the UK in 1984 and settled in Huntingdon, now in Cambridgeshire. In 1985, we moved
to Newport in Shropshire, where David had a new job as a manager of a newsagents for Stars News Shops.
In 1986, we moved again to Bishop's Castle in South Shropshire, again with Stars - and it turned out
to be the longest we had lived anywhere since we married - 5 1/2 years. We loved it there, but needs
must, and in early 1992, we moved to Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Mid-Wales, to run a new shop for Stars.
THEN came the National Lottery in November 1994! Remember the stories about Britain's
luckiest Lottery Shop - well that was us! When the Lottery began, we were the only outlet between
Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, and between Llandrindod Wells and Oswestry! So people were coming in
from miles around to put on their lottery tickets. But despite all the winning tickets we sold,
not one was a major winning ticket.
More will be added to this page [maybe even some photos] as time permits!
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Pedigree Chart 1
My Grandparents - Walter Russell CAWTHORN & Grace SCOTT
Ernest William PALMER & Florence Harriet SCALES
My Great-Grandparents - John CAWTHORN & Rachel Ann RUSSELL
Walter SCOTT & Annie Maria LAVENDER
Louis Henry PALMER & Catherine WATSON
Charles SCALES & Ellen SMITH
My Great-Great-Grandparents - George CAWTHORN & Hannah BERRY
John RUSSELL & Ann HIAM - page in preperation.
John SCOTT & Hannah DONCASTER
William LAVENDER & Mary DONCASTER
Emmanuel PALMER & Susannah TEED
John WATSON & Catherine O'CONNOR
James SCALES & Elizabeth DILLEY - page in preperation.
John SMITH & Harriet HAWKINS - page in preperation.
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This page created 12:19 06/06/2003
and amended/updated 21:41 20/03/2006
